Rail-fastening means



1,644,373 w. F. HART f v RAIL. FASTENING MEANS Patented Oct. 4, 1927B .uNirEosArss ATENT OFFICE. Y

WILLIAM n. HART, or PITTSBURGH, PENNsYLvAnIA,-Assre1\ron v'ro THEVERONA TOOL WORKS, 0F PETISBURG-I-I, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- y VANIA. l

RAILQVFASTENING MEANS.

f Application med April 28,1926. serial 110.105,158.

The present invention relates broadly to the art of railways, and more particularly to installations embodying non-parallel rail sections, such as are presentV in frogs, crossovers andthe like. v y

In .installations of the character referred to comprising .frail sectionsextending in angular relationV one with respect to the other, considerable difficulty has been heretofore experienced in providing not only suitable bearing means for the fastening bolts, but also locking means for preventing loosening of the nuts. In view of the difficulties experiencedin this connection, it lhasbeen not anuncommon practice for purchasers of such installations to specify rthe character of the through-bolts and to further .provide that they shall be fitted with head locks, nut locks and bevel Washers Vwhere necessaryto afford square bearing, as well as suitable washers where required to" bring the nuts from underthe rail heads intoposition where vthey may kbe engaged and tightened with astandard wrench. y

With non-,parallel rail sections fastened i a square seating surface for the heads, nuts or boltsis provided. The bevel washers or Wedges ordinarily utilized for this purpose vare objectionable toa considerable extent not only in that they do not veffect anyretainingaction or locking action yon the bolts,

but for the further reason that carev must be exercised in their installation, such strucgturesbbvio'usly not being reversible.

Due tothe vfact that work on Ainstallations kof the generalcharacter.herein contemplated is quite frequently lperformed byy unskilled ,labor, it is extremely desirablevnotrvonlyto provide means such vthat improper assembly i ismade impossible, but alsoof such nature thaty an automatic compensation for irreguv larities is obtained to insurea true seating v.surface together` with an automatic `interengagement IWithpthe bolt ,or carried thereby in suchmanner that loosening of the parts is effectively prevented.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide an. improved spring.

adapted to replace tapered washers or l wedges as heretofore utilized and serving not only to maintain the parts of thel installation tight, but to provideeifective seating surfaces and to automatically compensate for irregularities or angular variations in different structures.

Inthe accompanying drawings there are shown for purposes of illustration only, certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, it being understood that thedrawf ings do not define the limits of my nven-v tion as changes in the construction and opi eration disclosed therein may be made without departing either from the' spirit ofthe present invention or the yscope of my broader claims. A

In the drawings v Figure l is a top plan View of a portion of a spring rail frog embodying the present Y invention. by means of through bolts, it is, almost im- Figure 2 is a transverse sectional' view, on an enlarged scale through the structure of Figure 1.

Figure 3 l1s va perspectiveV View off-the' spring. Y,

Figure 4 is ya longitudinal sectional view through the vspringof Figure 3, and

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view through a rail cross.l c y In many built up sectionsy constituting standard installations in presentl railwayv systems, one rail section not infrequently exe tends at an angle to anotherV rail .c section,

or both rail sections are disposed at similar orV different angles,l with the result, in` all cases, that non-parallel rail sections are pro y Y vided. Such conditions are found, for exyample,lin' girder or Trail crosses'or cross overs,1n girder or T rail mates, ingirder or T runoffs, Ainbuilt-up -glrder orfvT frogs Vwhether Vstiff or spring, in tongue switches andthe like. V"Thef present kinvention 1 is equally applicable tolc'onstruction's falling within, any` of these Vor similar types, alltof such installations being khereinafter referred tofrlSnOH-Prallel rail se(ii-.10mgA Y -K l `V` In Figures l and 2 ofy the present draw? ings there is illustrated a portion of astandard rail spring frog installation embodying Anon-*parallel rail sections A and B. These vrail sectionsin accordance With-,usual practice may be spaced by means of'a toe-block 2v ofmalleableiron yor other suitable ma-Y i 'terials Forffastening the rail sections and lilV the-toe block togetherfthere may be provided through bolts 3 havingsquareheads 4 in accordance, for example, With thefstandard requirements of' many railroads at the present time, and having threaded portions adapte'v f' ed to..extend through suitableopenmgs pro- 'vide-dy in a joint bar 6. l

With thearrangement illustrated in Fig- Y' vures l and 2' ityvillbe clearly apparentthat While 'the throughvbolts extend substantially normalfto/therail,sectionv B,`theydo not exv so tend ,at right'angles'to, the'frail ysection A.

`.Due to this angularity considerable/difficulty Qhasheretofore been experienced in provld- Ving, a'lp'ropefr seating surface for the bolt CUI.

1 heads, tapered Washers or Wedge` blocks ordinarily beingrequired. VIn* accordance with, thepresent invention', such Washers orV fwe'dge" blocks are made unnecessary, their fof this character, thevr springs may versed end for end 1n a manner not p ossible Y place being taken byspecial springs 7 vvvhich arepreferably curved both longitudinally and transversely as shown onFigure 3, and

' whih`-arefpro-vided with. an elongated bolt .y re'ceiving-Lopening y8y ,extending` through the crown of the spring'gBy utilizing 1 springs Y I Vbe re.-

With Washers, Wedge blocks orthe like, Without affecting theirjutilityf Aty the same time, Vfdue to the factthat the springs have only a glimitedareaof ,contactwith the rails, joint bars ,1plates,1or the like' vWithvvhich they co-k operate, an automatic compensation is effffected..

' Inl actualoperation,a spring of the genjeral-.,cliaracter,herein-referredl to is preferably inserted both-underfthe head of yeach of fthedboltsras Well as-under'thelnut 5a., In

- actual practice', upon tightening the nuts, the '..springs cooperatingwith therrails'ection A lfhe'ads off the bolts beyond the heads ofthe f rails gv in isuch manner .that theyr Vare readily `f accessible. -,In like manner 'they serveto VWill- [tendr ltofV traveln toward -the narrow kpor- 1` ,project nuts to, anj accessible l point in 'Vsirriilar manner,','therebyiurther obviating the@l use Vof special,Washers Afor-,thispurpose.

lt stretch or mechanical .ing surface for the bolt head.

2. Fastening means `for noni-parallel rail o5l l a tight Aconnection is maintine'd at all times,

the springs further cooperating With the bolt heads and nuts in such manner as to more-or less effectively prevent relative rotationand 'i consequent loosening of these parts.

*In Figure 5 there is shovvn vmore or less c diagrammatically -a horizontal sectional Y vi'eW- through Va portionof av cross embodyying sections G' andd) both of which vareA angularly arranged in such a mannerthat the through bolts 3 do not extend in a direc- Vtion normal to either of the rails. VvIn such cases the provisionlof springs 7A under both the vheads and the nuts is vparticularly desir` able as Will'be readily apparent. The elongated openinfrS permits thesprings to automatically adjust themselves not only With respect'to the section with which they co# operate, but irregularities in such section.-

The .advantages of the present invention arise f rom. the provision of an installation including non-parallel rails in which proper* seating of the through bolts is automatically4 obtained. f

Other advantages ariserfrom the installation ofthe characterreferred to including means for automatically compensating not f' only vthe irregularitiesin the angularity or' .contour of ther-ail sec-tions, but for loose-v yness caused by stretch'or `Wear of the parts of the installation.

Iclaim: l. Fastening means sections, compri'sing a through bolt extend-r ingthrough both of the rail sections, anda for vnon-parallel i joint' spring; cooperating with saidbolt and providing n automatically adjustable lseatsections, comprising a'through boltextending throughl both of the rail sections, anda jointspring"cooperating Withsaid bolt, said joint.springjliaving 'an elongated opening formed therein topermitthe spring to automatically adapt i.tself to"V the angularityl of 'the rail sections v vithtivhich it cooperates.

sections, .including said sections, af vthrough bolt extending through bothof saidsections, vand a joint springcooperating with each end of the saidbolt Aandproviding an automatically vadj usta'blev 'seating surface for `the bolt head andnuttj" ,f 4:.' Fasteningmeanfs lfor'nonfparallel rail' sections, including said sections, a, through bolt extendingthrough both" of said sections,l Y

andla joint,springfcooperating With each end swings, harias. an .1.1.1. i

elongate@Qunnseihsre Y 4'I neans for nonspiarallel I sections, including said,sectio'ns, a'lthro'ugh' Y bolt extendingthroughl both v( Jjgtfsaicl sections,`

and a 1 oint -sprin gV cooperating with `each end of the. said '.bolt, said joint spring'being lon,"

itudinally curved to provide inwardly procluding non-parallel rails, comprising a 1on- Jeoting rail .engaging ends. gitudinal and transverselyA ourved body por- 10' 6. A rail spring for rail installations intion having an elongated opening through @hiding non-parallel rails, comprising a lonthe crown thereof. Y 5 gitudinally curved body 'portion having an In testimony whereof I have hereuntofset elongated opening through the crown theremy hand. of. Y

7 A rail spring for rail installations in- WILLIAM F. HART. 

